Dear Dad
by Order of the Aether
Summary: Posted for Father's Day. In which important days must be celebrated, unlikely advice comes from an unlikely place, and Zane is a masterful tease. Also, bus tokens will be the death of us all. Dr. Julien-centric! Set prior to Rebooted. SURPRISE EPILOGUE BY AXA!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, real talk. "Prior to Rebooted"? _Man_ , this thing is _old_. I think I might have written it about mid-season or shortly after, long before Titanium Zane...or Ghost Cole...(or _other_ character variants—looking at you, Season Skybound) were really a thing. But it only needed a little polishing up to be a fitting post for my first Father's Day on this site.**

 **Total character favoritism coming through here, as in my mind Zane and Cole are Best Dorks and Dr. Julien is Best Character in general. But come on, put these three in a room and story ideas practically make themselves.**

 **I imagine the ninja as humans—thus the cover photo. Yes, I drew that. Yes, my buddy Mish did the colors. No, you can not have it. But you came to read, not to hear me talk! Have fun and enjoy the fluff.**

* * *

 **Dear Dad**

Dr. Julien was used to waking up chill to the bone. The sorry excuse for a blanket that Samukai's goons provided did nothing to protect his skin from biting, salty ocean air in the hours before dawn. He was used to scrambling out of bed at first light, kindling a fire in the oven, and setting to work before the Leviathan could wake to find him slacking off.

That's why it took _ever_ so much effort to get out of his soft, warm, comfortable bed in the schoolhouse and head to breakfast that morning. A heady aroma from the kitchen down the hall let Julien know that Zane was already awake and busy, but _surely_ five more minutes wouldn't be so bad.

Julien's heavy eyelids dragged open, and he forced his far-sighted eyes to focus on the clock readout. 8:27, it read.

His head sank back into the pillow. Ten more minutes.

The little bedroom was quiet, lit by a square of sunlight flecked by the shadows of leaves on a tree outside. Though two other bunks occupied the far wall, they were empty. The newly reformed Garmadon, who would have occupied one of the bunks, had stayed at Wu's school building just long enough to finish restoring an old temple before establishing it as his own dojo. Wu hadn't bothered to put away the bed.

Sensei Wu was Julien's only roommate now, though Julien wasn't exactly sure Wu _slept_. Near as he could figure, the old sensei just meditated all night and vanished by dawn. The pair of brothers were an odd bunch.

Julien's thoughts wouldn't let him retreat back into sleep, so he rolled over and stared at the ceiling, willing himself to wake up.

It was strange, how serene life had gotten. One minute you're watching a giant purple abomination blow up in a blaze of white light, and then the giant purple abomination is a common man with a bit of a limp, and oh by the way the blonde teenager that just saved the world is his son. One minute, you're a prisoner of walking skeletons—the next, only a captive to your doting son.

Not that Julien would trade any of it back. The entire team of ninja as he'd met them were certainly an odd bunch, but life with them was good. It was certainly better than other things he'd experienced.

Julien convinced his lean limbs to slide out from under the comforters and stand as he rubbed a slight crick in his neck. His round glasses, soft slippers, and a warm robe came with him out into the hall, where the scents of breakfast dumplings, fried eggs, bacon, and sweet rice pudding gave a hearty good morning.

He let a wide grin break onto his face and trotted off to the kitchen. First come, first serve.

Julien barely had time to register Zane's tall figure at the stove, whisking what looked like pancake batter, before the android turned and gave his creator a warm beam. "Good morning, Father," Zane greeted him, setting down the bowl.

"Good morning, Zane," the inventor replied with a smile. He stepped up to Zane's side and put a hand on his son's back, where it wouldn't obstruct his movement.

"Give me a moment." Zane flipped the three eggs sizzling over-easy and knocked a few flecks of batter off the whisk before setting it aside. He then stepped back, and the father and son shared a warm hug.

"Do you know what today is, Father?" asked Zane before they'd even let go.

"What's that?" asked Julien, turning to smile up at Zane as best he could.

"Guess," insisted Zane.

Huh. Someone's funny switch seemed to be on. Julien gave the android a teasing squeeze and stepped out of his arms, replying, "How about you refresh an old memory, eh? It's not what it used to be up here," he grinned, twirling a finger at his head.

Zane smiled at the joke before scooping the eggs onto a platter already piled high with at least a dozen of them. "One year ago today," the android explained, "the Destiny's Bounty ran aground on a small island between Ninjago and our destination on the Dark Island."

Julien's eyes widened. A year...had it been a year already?

"On that island was a very tall tower. Lloyd supposed it was a lighthouse, but it was not." Zane paused in his story, calmly looking Julien in the eye. "It was a prison, holding captive someone I never believed I'd see again. One year ago today," he said in a low, deliberate tone, "he was set free."

That's right. No more cold nights, no more loneliness, no more fear. A smile twitched up the side of Julien's face, and Zane mirrored it. The android turned back to the stove, flicking burners and replacing the frying pan with a griddle. No more skeletons—just Zane.

"So it's an anniversary," Julien noted, amused by his son's calculated precision in heating the griddle. As soon as Zane straightened up, Julien squeezed Zane's arm gently.

"Yes," Zane agreed. He poured out the first perfect circle of batter, before turning back to Julien to brush the fingers off his arm and take them in his own hand. "Is there anything you would like to do to celebrate?" he asked.

Julien looked up into Zane's eyes. They were identical glass orbs; Julien had spent hours teaching himself glass-blowing and hours more forming, testing, and tempering the material to give his son beautiful, life-like blue eyes. And he'd done it. Zane's expression was full of such sincerity and warmth that Julien almost felt giddy as the day Zane first woke up.

What could there be to celebrate? An simple idea sprang into his mind and he couldn't help smiling. "How about another hug?"

Zane beamed. "An excellent idea," he agreed.

So they did. Julien had to figure he was shrinking with age as he rested his head against Zane's shoulder. There was a time Zane wasn't more than a few inches taller. Oh well. Things changed. He let his eyes flutter closed, listening to the low sizzle of hot food and the soft hum of the oven fan.

"Do I smell heaven," boomed Cole, "or is that just Zane's cookin'?"

Julien had stiffened and leaped back at the first tremor of a new voice, but as Cole had yet to emerge from the hall, Zane and Julien just traded grins and silent laughter.

"The answer to that question, brother," Zane replied, sweeping the platters of eggs and dumplings onto the table, "is _yes_."

"Good!" Cole sauntered into the kitchen, shirtless and scatting under his breath to whatever was playing through his earbuds at the moment. He headed straight for the fridge, nodding at Julien in passing. "Mornin', Doc."

"Good morning," he replied, lifting a stack of plates from the cabinets and purposefully maneuvering wide around the sweaty earth ninja.

"I'll have a batch of pancakes up within a _few minutes_ ," stated Zane, emphasizing the last two words not because they were important but because he had to snatch the orange juice from Cole before he drank it out of the carton.

Julien watched in quiet amusement as Zane gave his friend a pointed look with his eyebrows, and Cole just lifted his palms in surrender.

Unscrewing the lid of the carton, Zane nodded at the full table. "Help yourself."

"All right," the earth ninja cheered before snagging a handful of bacon.

Julien stayed by Zane's side as the android poured a glass of orange juice the proper way and watched the pancakes. Zane gave him a small smile but focused on what was in front of him.

"As I was saying," the android began, "is there anything else you would like to do to celebrate? I have time and sufficient cash for a small outing, if you'd like."

Julien frowned in thought, drumming his fingers on his arm. Being cooped up all alone for so long, first with Zane in their little treehouse and then in the ocean prison, he'd become even more uncomfortable with strangers than the average introvert and especially hated crowds. Zane's presence usually tempered that, however, and yet...

"I see no reason we can't enjoy ourselves right here," Julien answered with a smile. "Break out the deserts and we'll say we _didn't_ go out for ice cream. And anyway, if we did go out, I'd prefer a walk in the nearby park over anything else. No use wasting your cash."

Zane gave him a look that clearly meant he was about to say "it would _not_ be wasteful" when Cole interrupted.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked through a mouthful of dumpling.

"It's the anniversary of Father's rescue," Zane explained, sliding the glass bartender-style down the table.

Cole caught it with a waiting hand and gave Zane a nod. "Uh, congratulations," he added, not really looking at Julien.

"Thank you," the older man answered anyway. He turned back to Zane to ask exactly what he'd want to spend money on, when he caught sight of a faded swash of pink on Zane's chest.

"How about that apron, Zane?" Julien asked. "Don't you think it's time you got a new one?"

Zane glanced up briefly before easing the frilly apron off his shoulders to look at it. It had been stored in the hull of the Bounty and taken some water damage in the crash, but as Zane seemed ardent on keeping it, Julien couldn't bring himself to say that the color was a girly one. After all, since he was young Zane had been partial to butterflies. Let the boy do what he liked. Julien only found it charming.

"I...do have many memories connected to this," Zane replied, his tone slow and deliberate. There—he was being sentimental. Julien almost swelled up with pride at the thought that his android boy was being sentimental.

"There's no need to throw it away," Julien assured him, squeezing Zane's hand. "We can keep it around. But you have to agree that a threadbare apron won't do much to keep your clothes clean. Much less a white gi."

The beginnings of a smile formed on Zane's face before Cole cut in with "What, do you _like_ the pink?"

Immediately what could have been a smile disappeared, and Zane busied himself with the pancakes. Julien gave a rueful smile, grabbing a plate for himself.

"I think he'd be more inclined to answer that," Julien told Cole, "if you weren't biased against it."

"What? Hey, I mean, pink is cool," Cole shrugged.

Julien helped himself to the dumplings and a bowl of rice pudding.

"I mean, it's girly, and I wouldn't wear it, but girly isn't a bad thing. Right?"

Julien and Zane shared a look. "Throw away the shovel," Julien muttered under a grin, shaking his head.

He hadn't meant for anyone to hear that, but Zane had sharper ears than most. "Is that like 'don't put your foot in your mouth'?" asked Zane, appearing over his shoulder.

"Sort of," Julien replied after thinking it over. "The full saying is, 'you've already dug yourself into a deep hole, so throw away the shovel.'"

"Deep yogurt? Hot water?" asked Zane.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," grinned Julien.

Zane turned aside with a smile. "Idioms," he said.

And something about that was abnormally funny, an android and his creator joking about idioms, that Julien started to laugh far too hard and Zane did the same.

Julien hardly noticed the earth ninja, usually with a voracious appetite, chasing around the kernels in the rice pudding with his fork.

* * *

Okay, so maybe he did put his foot in his mouth sometimes, and maybe that string of aesops wasn't _exactly_ targeted at him, and maybe he was taking too much offense, but still. Cole knew that Zane was an honest guy, but sometimes he was honest, innocent, _and_ naive, and this was one of those times.

Why did Zane have to be so fixated on his dad whenever the doc was around? Cole had been trying to ask his advice on something important, but every time he tried, one of the two had a new question for the other. Make _him_ look like the intruder, why don't ya.

Okay, and maybe he was a bit possessive of his teammates too. But leader of the team ought to be able to talk to the team. Parent or not, anyone outside the team is never included in team talks.

And all of this was entirely counterproductive to the advice he needed. Drat it all.

Jay and Kai slithered out of bed eventually, Jay with an impressive bedhead to rival even the fire ninja's. Nya appeared and joined them for breakfast, though as one of the resident morning people she'd already been up an hour or two earlier. Wu sat being his silent self at the head of the table. The team read a lengthy email from Lloyd and chatted about teacher things they'd have to prepare by that August, but whenever Cole sneaked a glance at Zane, the ice ninja was predictably occupied.

Ah, but the irony was strong with this one.

Breakfast ended and Cole washed up, hoping a shower would clear his head. The schoolhouse was quiet when he emerged, black hair still dripping onto a dark tee, and Cole thanked his stars for a good few minutes alone with his bro.

A little twinge in the back of his head said "uh-oh" when he saw Dr. Julien seated at the kitchen island, but the doc seemed bent over a little book—some kind of a journal, maybe?—and not paying any attention to Zane. The white ninja had just started the dishwasher and was wiping down an already spotless counter. When Zane cooked, there was never any evidence that anyone had been there—except, of course, less food to be found in pantries.

Cole let himself grin and sauntered up to the white ninja. "You got a minute, Zane?" he asked, looking (just a few inches) up at him.

Zane turned with a characteristic smile. "Of course. But only a minute or so. Father and I will be leaving momentarily."

"Oh yeah?" Cole asked in something like a mutter, failing to feign interest. He began to edge out of the kitchen, trying to coax Zane away. "Where are you going?"

"Just to the nature reserve," Zane replied. He hung up the towel and followed Cole as dutifully as a puppy. Bless his naivete. "Father is interested in sketching the plant life there."

A trip to the nature reserve? Cole's own dad would be bored to tears. "Cool," Cole lied, stepping out of the doc's earshot into the break room.

"I supposed it would be kind to do something for him today," Zane went on. "You agree that important days ought to be celebrated?"

Cole began to scratch a small itch behind his ear, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet. In a small voice he began, "It's my dad's birthday."

"Oh," Zane replied with a certain brightness in his voice. But when Cole's eyebrows furrowed, that brightness disappeared.

"Is there a problem?" asked Zane, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, there's a problem," retorted Cole. He took pains to sound frustrated, as he was, and not angry with Zane. "I just don't have a clue what I ought to do for him. Fighting the Overlord has kept us so busy, that I just—it's the first time since we made up that I've even had time to think about it," Cole admitted, pacing a little. "I guess I could send some cheap card, but I don't—"

Cole paused in his steps and sighed heavily. "I don't know."

He glared momentarily at the floorboards, then glanced at Zane, expecting an answer. The nindroid simply gazed back, his expression a thoughtful blank. "Were...you also debating this over breakfast?" Zane couldn't do a thing to hide a certain anxiety in his voice.

Cole had to chuckle a little, and it wasn't entirely bitter. "Yes, I was, you clueless tin can," he answered with a slight smirk, "and you and the doc weren't exactly helping."

Zane looked crestfallen. He stared at his shoes with shame like a little boy's in his face. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know your relationship with your father is different, and I'm sorry we called attention to it."

Cole couldn't take much more of that anymore and slugged Zane in the arm. "Aw, stop it," he joshed. "Help me out here and maybe I'll forgive you."

Zane did nothing to comfort what would have left a massive bruise on the arm of anyone else. He simply brightened up and asked, "How can I help?"

"I need ideas." Cole shifted his weight back on his heels and crossed his burly arms in thought, growling, "I'm just drawing a blank." One of his lips twisted under the other, and he added in a lower voice, "You and the doc are pretty tight. Thought maybe you'd have an idea."

Zane didn't say anything for a moment or two, but he did offer a calm smile. "I'm afraid neither you nor I are very imaginative when it comes to displays of affection." Zane shrugged—a motion that wasn't natural to him, but that he'd learned in process of communicating with the other guys.

Yeah, though, no kidding. There were times Zane could seem wholly detached or absent from the team, and Cole realized he was probably guilty of that too.

"However," Zane added, "I think I know someone who can help." With that he strode out of the room, leaving Cole confused.

Who could he ask for—? Alarm hit Cole like a ton of bricks, and his eyes shot wide. "No, Zane, wait—!" Wasn't he just apologizing for—oh, never mind. "Zane!" hollered Cole.

But he burst into the kitchen too late. Dr. Julien was already smiling up through his glasses at Zane as the nindroid asked very politely to have his advice.

Cole facepalmed and dragged it down his chin. "Dang it, Zane."

* * *

Julien settled his weight back in the chair. "So...a birthday?" he asked, directing the question at the young man seated nearby.

"Yeah," answered Cole, staring at his fingers as they drummed on the island's counter-top.

Julien had to admit he didn't feel any more comfortable than Cole looked. He'd only met Lou briefly at some family get-together after the defeat of the Overlord, and the man's bombastic demeanor hadn't exactly made for pleasant conversation at the time. Cole seemed the exact opposite of his father—energetic only occasionally, but most of the time serious and private. That the two didn't get along easily didn't surprise him, but he wasn't about to let anyone down who needed advice.

Julien leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the granite surface. "Well, if we're looking for ideas, it'd help to start with particular interests."

"Music and dance," Cole cut in immediately, as if it was rehearsed. "He's crazy about it, and that's just the problem. We have every record album ever produced, sheet music for a hundred classical pieces, a piano, two violins, and a cello."

Julien privately noted that Cole said "we", though Zane informed him that the young man had been on the run from his father for years.

"He can hear a flat in a concert grand from the back of the auditorium, name the note it should be, and point it out on the first keyboard he sees within seconds, and that's not even the start of it." Cole ran his fingers through the black mop on his head, frowning at nothing in particular. "Try to impress a guy like _that_."

Julien let himself fall back against the backrest. Yes, this was going to be difficult. First of all, because Julien himself didn't know the first thing about musical performance. Computers would be a different story, but...

"Music is out of the question," Cole summarized, "and I don't do greeting cards." He wove his fingers together, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "I'm not getting some cheap little card."

Julien raised an eyebrow. Something about the way Cole said it struck him as significant. "Why not?" he asked, trying to sound innocent and baiting him at the same time. "I don't see anything wrong with greeting cards."

Cole looked him in the eyes for probably the first time that day. "It's...just too little," he began, fidgeting as he struggled to explain. "You buy this thing from the store, scrawl your name on the bottom, and that's it. It's just cheap."

So...he valued an impressive display? Or sincerity?

"I suppose I can see that," Julien assented. "But what would a _not_ cheap gift look like?"

Cole went quiet for a moment—and that was more than Julien had expected, so he waited to see what the young man had to say. Even Cole's hands stopped fidgeting as he gazed at some faraway spot on the floor.

"There was one time," Cole began—and a certain edge had disappeared from his voice. "The day we left for the Dark Island. Everyone came to see us off. Even Dareth, and Ed and Edna."

Julien's mind scrambled for a moment before it clicked. Jay's folks. Of course.

"Dad brought the quartet," Cole went on. "I didn't know why the heck they'd come at first, but it turned out Dad had written this piece..." Cole gave a single laugh, blinking in a strange way as if something were in his eye. "The arrangement was perfect—" He coughed a kink out of his throat and continued. "And I could tell they'd rehearsed it and everything. It was just a goodbye, for me. Because he could."

A smirk twitched up the side of Cole's face, and he glanced back at Julien. " _That's_ not a cheap gift."

Sincerity it was, then. Sincerity, time, and effort. Julien smiled back, privately thinking he could warm up to this kid. Zane had good friends after all.

Tapping one finger against the counter-top for a few seconds, Julien finally suggested, "You could write him a letter."

"What?" was the reply.

"A letter. Just write down whatever comes to mind," Julien explained, "whatever you haven't had the chance to tell him yet. You've had plenty of adventures. Have you had the chance to talk about what happened since the Overlord?"

Cole was fixated on a spot on the wall, but seemed to be seriously considering it. "No," he replied, the answer slow in coming, "and I don't think he really knows who Lloyd is either, aside from the news and celebrity stuff."

"Well, there you go," shrugged Julien. "Write about your gold ninja and everything involved with saving the world, rewrite it if you have to, and wish him happy birthday in closing. It won't seem insincere."

A little spark blazed up in Cole's eye as he grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that." The young man leaped out of the chair noisily and shoved it back against the island as he headed out the hall. Julien found himself surprised the wood didn't splinter.

"Oh, and doc?" Cole poked his head back though the door, a genuine smile on his face. "Thanks."

Julien grinned back. "Glad I could help."

Cole nodded in parting and disappeared. Julien knew the soft footsteps approaching behind him even before Zane spoke.

"I guess it went well, then?" he surmised.

"And where did _you_ disappear to?" Julien asked, pivoting in his chair to give his son a teasing, pointed look.

The android simply raised his eyebrows, his face impassive. "I have things to do around the school as well," he stated.

"Of course. And that's why you stepped in right as he left."

"Of course. And I thought you wanted to get to know my brothers."

At a loss for a comeback, Julien shook his head and gave a wry smile. Zane returned with a smirk clearly meaning 'if I _did_ just put you in the hot spot, what are you going to do about it?'

Julien slapped the counter-top and stood. "Turn off your funny switch, Zane," he insisted. "We're going to the reserve, aren't we?"

"Of course, Father."

* * *

"Darn it," were the first words Zane heard when he returned late that afternoon. "Dang it, darn it!"

He stepped into the break room to find Cole glaring at an abused little spiral-bound notebook. Twiddled in his right hand was a pencil displaying a few scattered bite marks.

"Are you having trouble?" asked Zane, lifting a satchel off his shoulder and settling into the couch beside Cole.

"Who cares?" the earth ninja growled, raking his hair in obvious frustration. "It's not even gonna get to him today. The post'll take, what, three days? And by then it'll be weird."

Cole threw his bulk against the cushions to fume, leaving Zane to infer that by 'weird' he meant 'out of place', or simply 'belated'. Zane took the notebook from Cole's lap and, when he didn't protest, leafed through it absently, reading a few scattered thoughts and sentences.

So this was his father's suggestion. Zane might have grinned, but he kept his smile regulated to the inside.

"If you are concerned about the time of its arrival, I may have a solution," Zane offered, standing and rifling through his wallet.

"How?" Cole asked, glancing up at him.

"We're about an hour and a half out of town, correct?" Zane flicked a bus token into the air and caught it between his thumb and forefinger. "Complete that manuscript within twenty minutes and we can place it in the mailbox ourselves by sundown."

Cole's black eyebrows lowered at him, leaving Zane to wonder, "Are you concerned that my suggested course of action is technically illegal?"

"Eh, half of everything we do for a living is illegal," Cole shrugged. Spinning his pencil the right way around, Cole added, "I'm more concerned that I didn't think of it myself.

* * *

About five bus tokens and nearly two hours later, Cole was rudely reminded of exactly why he _hadn't_ thought of this plan himself.

"Zane, he always invites the quartet over on Thursdays," Cole hissed in what would have been a harsh whisper, but was even louder than his normal volume to make himself heard over the town bustle. "He's sure to have them over for his birthday. What if they see us?"

"I doubt that will happen," Zane answered without turning his gaze from where the sidewalk wound on ahead.

"Uh-huh." Cole was not convinced. "And that's why you're wearing a hoodie and brought sunglasses?"

"The sun was bright when we left," Zane insisted. "And I like the hoodie. It is similar to my ninja gi in coverage, but more casual in appearance."

"Always with the logical excuse," retorted Cole, rolling his eyes.

"I believe this is the street, correct?" asked Zane after what could have been a pointed silence. You could never know with Zane.

But Cole looked, with pursed lips, and scanned the familiar neighborhood before breathing out his nose. "Yep."

Departing from the bulk of pedestrians on the highway sidewalks, Cole meandered down the twilight-bathed street, slowly paying less and less attention to Zane's footsteps behind him. Soft lights shone in the windows, and Cole snatched glimpses into the houses of neighbors from what felt like another lifetime. He could still remember the names of his old friends, and brushed past fireflies he would have chased for hours before bedtime as a kid. Boy, how things could change.

The envelope crinkled in Cole's back pocket as he eyed the mailbox by his dad's door. Dang, why'd he have to get the kind mounted on the wall? Crackling, muted phonograph music drifted out of the house into the night air. Cole bit the inside of his lip and turned to Zane for some final resolve.

The nindroid was gone. Cole pivoted on his heel, searching the whole neighborhood in a glance. "Zane?"

He was nowhere to be found. Cole stepped into the middle of the street and hollered, " _Zane?_ "

The click of a door-latch sent a twinge through his spine.

"Cole?"

Cole spun around to see his dad on the doorstep, cane in hand and an extraordinary look in his eyes.

"Uh," Cole fumbled, digging his heel in the pavement. "Dad, hey."

There was a single beat of silence before Cole whipped out the white envelope. "I wrote a letter," he blurted, and immediately cursed himself inside for sounding so stupid.

Lou gave an odd smile, curling up the little black mustache over his lip. Cole watched blankly as Lou tottered down the doorstep, stepped around his son's outstretched arm, and hugged him instead.

"For my birthday?" Lou grinned, right as Cole regained the sense to hug him back. "That's marvelous, son. Come inside! The quartet and I were just about to have dinner."

Cole let himself be pulled towards the door even as the much shorter Lou awkwardly tried to sling an arm over his shoulders. "You didn't cook, did you?" Cole asked in weak protest.

Lou gave a boisterous laugh. "Not to worry. I got carry out."

* * *

Zane emerged from around a nearby corner, a quiet smirk on his face as he watched Lou hustle poor Cole inside the house. Satisfied, Zane flipped open a panel on his arm and shut off his funny switch for the first time that day. Rebellious, maybe, but worth it.

Blending again into the shadows, he boarded a bus for home and trekked up to the schoolhouse in what seemed like no time at all. After storing away the hoodie and sunglasses, Zane headed for bed, meeting his own father in the hall.

"There you are," Julien greeted him, eyes twinkling even without his glasses. After glancing around momentarily he joked, "Where did you dump Cole?"

"Where else?" replied Zane. "At Lou's. The time together will do them good."

"Ah," Julien nodded with a slight smile.

Zane returned the smile and headed for the bathroom when he heard Julien add, "It's a bit late, though, isn't it? Shouldn't he be getting back?"

Zane turned to meet his father's thoughtful expression. "I wouldn't rush it. Perhaps a conversation is going long," suggested Zane.

Julien raised both eyebrows and inclined his head in some kind of assent. "I suppose you could be right. Well, we wouldn't know."

Zane nodded and turned, placing both hands in his pockets. His fingers grazed the leather of his wallet and he froze.

"Oh dear," he said.

"What's wrong?" asked Julien.

Zane lifted the wallet from his pocket and rifled through, murmuring, "Oh, he'll have words with me when he gets back."

"What is it, Zane?"

Earnestly looking his father in the eye, Zane replied, "I didn't leave Cole any bus tokens."

For a moment, Julien opened his mouth as if to say something, then held it shut for a few moments longer—and raising both eyebrows he turned away, saying, "I'm going to bed."

* * *

 **A/N: The end! X-D I love Dr. J so much, he's hilarious. Bus tokens will be the death of us all. Yes, the cover photo is that moment when Cole whips out his letter to give it to Lou** — **and realizes how dumb he sounds. Poor guy. *snork***

 **Let me know what you liked about this story, and if you'd like to see more from me! Reviews are luscious breakfast dumplings.**


	2. Epilogue

**Order's Note: Surprise epilogue! I commissioned fellow Ninjago fan Axa Lopez (whom I found at axartstudios .tumblr .com) for a follow-up to this story inspired by Astrid16's suggestion of Zane baking Cole a peace cake. Axa is currently accepting emergency commissions: $5 for a 2,000-word oneshot, and at the time I post this, there's only three slots left! So if you can, help out a fan, and enjoy her work!**

* * *

"I knew I shouldn't have given him my wallet."

Cole was on his way from his father's home near Ninjago City. His father greatly appreciated the letter he wrote for him. There were a few scratched sentences here and there, but Cole was never too expressive to his father about how he felt. It was something that he always had to work on, but he knew he was taking those first few steps needed to open himself up more.

Which leads him to this moment. Cole had spent the night at his old home and was unaware of the fact that Zane had all the bus tokens in his jacket. Not his fault, really! Zane did leave him once he went inside Lou's home, but it was still annoying to deal with.

Cole made it home around the afternoon. He had left early that morning with a hug from his father and one bus token in case he needed it. Little did Cole know that he was in need of more than one bus token. Then again, Cole wasn't used to the buses in Ninjago City.

It was around 3 pm when he finally made it back to the school grounds. Cole had a few words to say to the local tin can, but first he had to solve something else: lunch.

"Cole! I see you made it back safe." Wu had appeared from one of the classrooms with a stroke of his beard. "How was your trip to your father?"

"It was alright," Cole said. He had a feeling Zane explained it to everyone when he got home. "Have you seen Zane by any chance?"

"I believe he was in the kitchen making a sandwich for his father."

"Thank you, Sensei." Cole took off with a small jog. He can get rid of two birds with one stone- a victory in his books!

* * *

Meanwhile, Zane was working away on lunch for Dr. Julien. His father was tired from yesterday's activities, so he let him rest for the day. Zane had just finished making the sandwich when he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen.

"Hey Zane! Guess who's back?"

Zane turned around and smiled. "Welcome back, Cole! How was your trip?"

"My trip?" Cole decided to exaggerate just a little bit. "You mean the entire walk I had to take back home from my dad's house? Oh it went well, actually. You know, if it wasn't for the fact that my feet hurt and my back aches!"

Thank goodness Zane had his funny switch on. "Oh, I'm sorry. I assumed you wanted to walk home since you didn't ask for your wallet back."

"Hey, you disappeared when we got to his house, not me!"

Zane had to bite back a snicker. "Did you not consider asking when we got off the bus?"

"The last thing on my mind was my wallet, you fool." Cole crossed his arms over his chest and let out a sigh. "You owe me for leaving me stranded in Ninjago City."

"And what would you like as a way of payback?"

"You already know what I want." He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and walked out of the kitchen. "And make it snappy, buddy!"

Zane couldn't help but chuckle at his friend. He placed his father's lunch on a tray and walked out of the kitchen as well, heading to his father's room.

He walked down the hallway silently, making sure not to disturb his father from his rest. Zane reached his hand up to knock on the door. "Father? I made you breakfast."

Zane heard some rustling noises from the other side of the room, followed by some heavier footsteps reaching the door. "Just a moment!"

Dr. Julien opened the door with a tired smile. "Hello, Zane. Did you bring me something to eat?"

"I did." Zane smiled and handed him the tray. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Always." He was starting to get used to everyone in the group, especially Cole. Speaking of…

"Did Cole deliver the letter?"

"Yes," Zane said with a smile. "I may have forgotten to give him some tokens for the way back home."

"Oh dear. Did he come back home walking?" The doctor placed his tray down by the nightstand.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, I owe him a favor for making him walk home today." Zane chuckled at the mere thought of Cole bickering with him while he tried to make it up to him.

"I see. Well, I won't hold you any longer then," Dr. Julien said. "I'll be out after my lunch."

"Perfect. I will be in the kitchen should you need anything." With a hug from his father, Zane closed the door and walked back down the hallway. Now where did he put his recipe book?

* * *

Several hours later, Zane was done slaving over the oven as he wiped his hands on his apron. "Perhaps I should buy a new one soon."

The air in the kitchen smelled sweet. It was filled with the scent of chocolate as Zane placed the cake onto the counter, wiping everything else clean while the cake cooled down. He prided himself in the cleanliness of his work station- it was normal for him to clean everything up after he has finished his task for the day. Zane waited a few more minutes and grabbed a few decorative items for the cake. Sprinkles, icing, and a few pieces of fruit completed the look for the cake.

"I smell cake!" He heard from down the hall. Zane was still amazed as to how strong Cole's nose really was, especially with sweets.

Cole walked through the door with a grin on his face. "Well, I have to admit- you did a great job, Zane."

"Why thank you, Cole. I hope you enjoy your cake." Zane hung up his apron and walked out of the kitchen.

Cole's mouth was watering at the sight. He ate the fruit immediately and cut out a piece of cake with the knife laid nearby. Cole was ready to eat the cake and enjoy every last piece, knowing that Zane's baking is amazing.

"Oh boy, finally. This is worth the walk!" Cole bit into his slice and hummed in delight. The chocolate melted perfectly with the vanilla icing, and the sprinkles added a small but delicate crunch to his slice. One slice was followed by two slices and he was in true heaven.

Only to spit it back out into the trash can.

Cole immediately put the slice down and ran to the fridge, grabbing bottles of water and a gallon of milk, washing his mouth out with the water while trying to cool his tongue down with the milk. "AH! ZAAANE!"

Zane was smiling in the hallway. He opened his panel and turned off his funny switch, walking away from the kitchen as Cole continued to shout and drown in milk and water up until dinner. It was certainly going to be a fun dinner time for him.

* * *

 **Order's Note: Once again, thanks to Axa for writing this. Readers, if you can, check out her blog (commission rules are posted there) or email her at** **axartstudios (at sign) gmail. com for the commissions!**


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